Weaning off Lexapro after 8 years on SSRI's, is it normal to have pvc's accompany the brain zaps?

I was on Zoloft for 6 years and then Lexapro the past 2 years, since starting SSRI's I feel like it's just been a gradual downward spiral. It started with Zoloft as the first med I ever had to take on a daily basis, then BP meds, then GERD meds, then multiple severe allergies (airborne and foods). I've finally convinced my doctor to take me off of SSRI's and I'm now taking low doses of Wellbutrin XL (150mg) and Buspar (10mg) which I've took at the same time with SSRI's in the past.

I don't feel like after reading other people's experiences that I was weaned off in a proper manner, not as slow as what most people have been. I've went from 20mg Lexapro, down to 10mg for 3 weeks, and then totally cut out now for 6 days. For the past 3-4 days I've been having insane brain zaps that are accompanied by a PVC each time. It's like the brain zap shocks my whole upper body. The PVC's aren't a new thing for me, as I've tried weaning off Lexapro before under a psychiatrist's observation and had the PVC's that freaked me out and I ended up going back on. This time I fought through those when my dose was cut in half (20 to 10) and they stopped after about a week. I'm guessing the recurrence of PVC's is from dropping the dose yet again but they only come along with the brain zaps.

Moving my eyes or any fast movement of my head causes brain zaps, sometimes multiple zaps at a time and it's really interfering with my work. I called the doctor after 2 days of dealing with them and she didn't seemed too concerned. I told her I had heard antihistamines had been documented by some to help curb these sensations but it didn't seem to work well for me. When I'm not experiencing these problems (which is rare) I feel like my mind is a lot more clear and I have better focus, but the brain zaps with the PVCs really scare the living crap out of me.

I've read also that taking certain vitamins can help a lot to stop these feelings because they help with whatever the Lexapro was doing to my brain/body, for those chemicals to be naturally created in my body where my brain feels like it's deprived or something along those lines (just trying to be as laymen as possible because I don't remember the technical terminology). If anyone has any suggestions on how to curb these feelings I would love to hear them! Thank you so much in advance!

Responses (1)

AN

Anonymous13 Jul 2012

Hello jazoon. Welcome to the site. I agree whole heartly that your taper off from Lexapro was as you said, much to quick. The zaps are a definite side effect in regards to the Lexapro. I will do some reading and see if I can find you some tips to help ease the zaps (although more often than not, doing nothing and letting them disappear on thier own, which they do, is the usual cure). Regards, pledge

Thank you pledge, hope to hear from you soon. Been having a bad night of 3 or 4 brain zaps a minute. It always seems worse in the evening.

AN

Anonymous14 Jul 2012

Hello jazoon. I hope you are feeling a bit better. I would suggest you talk to your doctor for a sleeping medication. Either a hypnotic as in Ambien or a benzodiazepine such as Restoril. If anything, you'll sleep, and get some needed rest and a break from the zaps, pledge